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Nashville school shooting – latest: 911 calls released as shooter Audrey Hale’s ‘infatuation’ revealed

Nashville school shooting – latest: 911 calls released as shooter Audrey Hale’s ‘infatuation’ revealed

Nashville authorities have released chilling 911 from inside the Covenant School as a mass shooting took place that cost the lives of three children and three adults.

According to the Associated Press, the calls were made in hushed voices urging dispatchers to send help, with gunfire and crying children heard in the background.

Earlier, hundreds of protesters flooded the Tennessee state capitol on Thursday morning to demand lawmakers take action on guns in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

Meanwhile, a manifesto written by the Nashville school shooting suspect Audrey Hale will soon be released by officers investigating Monday’s deadly attack on The Covenant School in the Tennessee city, according to reports.

Pupils Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged nine, and staff members Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill were shot dead when an armed assailant identified by police as Hale, 28, a former student of the private Christian elementary school, burst into the building and opened fire.

No motivation for the attack has yet been established but on Wednesday it emerged that Hale had previously posted on Facebook about the death of a romantic partner, according to a former teacher, offering a possible clue.

Key Points

Funerals set for three of Nashville school shooting victims

04:30 , Namita Singh

Funeral arrangements were disclosed for one of the adults and two of the children who were killed in this week’s school shooting in Nashville, as the grieving city mourns the victims of the horrific attack that transformed what should have been a normal day of school on a bright, sunny morning into wrenching tragedy.

Heartbreaking new details continued to emerge about the lives of the three adults and three 9-year-old students who police say were killed during the shooting Monday at The Covenant School.

The children have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Also killed were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school; Mike Hill, 61, a custodian; and Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher.

More on the funeral service for the victims in this report:

Funerals set for 3 of the Nashville school shooting victims

AOC slams Marjorie Taylor Greene’s tweets over Nashville shooting

04:03 , Graeme Massie

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed fellow congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments blaming gender-affirming care for Monday’s events in Nashville.

Almost immediately after the story broke, Ms Greene pointed to the shooter’s supposed gender identity in a series of tweets as malicious as they were illiterate.

“How much hormones like testosterone and medications for mental illness was the transgender Nashville school shooter taking,” the Georgia Republican tweeted. “Everyone can stop blaming guns now.”

Responding after a House vote on Monday evening, Ms Ocasio-Cortez justly slammed the remarks.

“It’s absolutely disgusting and she should be looking into a mirror as to why she’s defending and posing with the same weapons that are being used to kill children, teachers and educators,” she told The Independent.

Eric Garcia has more.

AOC slams Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic tweets over Nashville shooting

03:08 , Graeme Massie

Protesters flood Tennessee capitol building to demand action from state lawmakers

02:04 , Graeme Massie

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Nashville shooting 911 calls capture terror inside school: ‘I’m hearing more shots, please hurry!’

01:03 , Graeme Massie

Nashville authorities released the recordings on Thursday.

Nashville shooting 911 calls capture terror inside school

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder’: Nashville youth at school shooting vigil share their anger

Thursday 30 March 2023 23:58 , Graeme Massie

First lady Jill Biden and singer Sheryl Crow stood before hundreds in Nashville as mourners held candles, prayed and shared their frustration at yet another deadly school shooting on American soil, writes Sheila Flynn from Tennessee.

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder:’ Nashville youth share their anger at vigil

Democrats criticise GOP over gun policies

Thursday 30 March 2023 23:18 , Graeme Massie

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the top Democrat in the House, criticizes Republican policies on guns in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Nashville, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the top Democrat in the House, criticizes Republican policies on guns in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Nashville, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP)

Chilling 911 call captures terrified caller inside Nashville school during shooting 5tRvZl6s

Thursday 30 March 2023 22:53 , Graeme Massie

Lawmaker calls for ‘revival’ after Nashville shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 22:40 , Graeme Massie

A Tennessee lawmaker who said that gun violence cannot “be fixed” by politicians has now called for a “revival” in the wake of the Nashville shooting.

Congressman Tim Burchett made his latest comments on Fox News after being heavily criticised for his immediate comments after the Covenant School killings.

“As I’ve stated, we’re a sick nation,” he said. “We need to repent and, honestly, we need a revival. It’s made a lot of people mad that I’ve said that, but it really is. There’s no other answer for it.”

And he blamed the reaction to his comments on people not liking the “thoughts and prayers” response often given by Republicans after mass shootings in the US

“I think they come back to me and say, ‘Look what your prayers have done for us,’ and the people doing the praying aren’t the ones doing the shooting.”

Tim Burchett (Fox News)
Tim Burchett (Fox News)

Kevin McCarthy refuses to commit to gun control legislation

Thursday 30 March 2023 22:21 , Graeme Massie

“There’s not one person in America who doesn’t want to try to solve all this,” the Speaker of the House said on Thursday when asked about the GOP’s plans to deal with mass shootings. “We want to make sure we’re taking all the information.”

And he added: “I would say to the nation as a whole that the problem that we [have] today, it’s not just going to be legislation. We’ve got to have a severe conversation here with this country. We’ve got to deal with mental illness.”

Mr McCarthy continued later, “I don’t think one piece of legislation solves this. I think a nation together, working together, solves a problem that’s much bigger than us.”

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks to reporters after passing the GOP’s sprawling energy package (AP)
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks to reporters after passing the GOP’s sprawling energy package (AP)

Nashville school shooter previously posted online about death of partner, says teacher

Thursday 30 March 2023 21:41 , Graeme Massie

Nashville school shooting suspect Audrey Hale had previously posted on Facebook about the death of a romantic partner, according to a former teacher.

Art college instructor Maria Colomy, who taught Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, recalled a Facebook post from the shooter “openly grieving” the individual.

Speaking to The New York Times, Ms Colomy said that Hale had announced the bereavement and asked to be addressed as Aiden and by masculine pronouns from then on.

“She had been openly grieving about that on social media, and during the grieving is when she announced that she wanted to be addressed as a male,” the teacher said.

Nashville school shooter posted online about death of partner, says teacher

GoFundMe for Mike Hill passes $550,000

Thursday 30 March 2023 21:06 , Graeme Massie

Hill was shot dead by Audrey Hale at the Covenant School in Nashville on Monday.

As of Thursday afternoon, the fundraiser had collected $552, 955 after starting with a target of $25,000.

“Mike was the beloved father of eight children. More notably, he was “Big Mike” to his students, who will surely feel his loss in the years to come. Per his family, he took great pleasure and found tremendous joy in his job and through those students. Funeral arrangements are being made over the next day or so, and will be shared only with the blessing of Mike’s family,” the GoFundMe reads.

Comfort dogs help at Covenant School memorial site and nearby schools

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:58 , Graeme Massie

The golden retrievers were brought to Nashville by Lutheran Church Charities.

“LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs brought a presence of peace and comfort to those who were paying their respects at the memorial site,” the group said on Facebook.

More than $470,000 raised for those impacted by shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:46 , Graeme Massie

The Care for Covenant Fund has raised $474,254 as of Thursday morning, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee told The Tennessean.

The money will be “directed to The Covenant School to support the healing of those affected by this tragedy,” the foundation’s website states.

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Chilling 911 calls from inside Covenant school released by police

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:02 , Graeme Massie

Nashville authorities have released chilling 911 from inside the Covenant School as a mass shooting took place that cost the lives of three children and three adults.

According to the Associated Press, the calls were made in hushed voices urging dispatchers to send help, with gunfire and crying children heard in the background.

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Chilling 911 calls from inside Covenant school released by police

Thursday 30 March 2023 19:00 , Graeme Massie

Nashville authorities have released chilling 911 from inside the Covenant School as a mass shooting took place that cost the lives of three children and three adults.

According to the Associated Press, the calls were made in hushed voices urging dispatchers to send help, with gunfire and crying children heard in the background.

Protesters flood Tennessee capitol building to demand action from state lawmakers

Thursday 30 March 2023 18:46 , Graeme Massie

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Pictures from Nashville candlelight vigil

Thursday 30 March 2023 17:44 , Graeme Massie

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‘We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville'

Thursday 30 March 2023 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The right is the radicalised threat to public safety, not the LGBTQ community – I have the receipts to prove it, writes Skylar Baker-Jordan for Indy Voices.

We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville | Voices

Biden acknowledges demand for new gun laws be says he ‘can’t do anything except plead with Congress’

Thursday 30 March 2023 14:20 , Joe Sommerlad

With Republicans controlling the House of Representatives in the wake of last November’s midterms, achieving any meaningful change to firearms regulations is a dimmer prospect than ever right now, hence the president’s dismayed tone.

Right-wing bgun industry apologists are already striving to characterise Audrey Hale’s actions as a mental health matter unrelated to the ready availability of military-grade weapons.

Biden says ‘Congress has to act’ on stronger gun laws

Arizona governor’s press secretary resigns after ‘transphobe’ gun meme in wake of Nashville shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The press secretary for Arizona governor Katie Hobbs has resigned after facing strong criticism for posting a meme suggesting violent measures against transphobes in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

Police have said that the suspect in the shooting, Audrey Hale, 28, was a trans man, prompting dangerous anti-trans rhetoric from Republican lawmakers and far-right figures, as reported by The Independent.

Arizona governor’s press secretary resigns after ‘transphobe’ gun meme

Tennessee governor reveals Nashville shooting victim was friend and was due to have dinner with him that night

Thursday 30 March 2023 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Rachel Sharp has more on Republican Bill Lee’s video last night in which he revealed that he and his wife were friends with shooting victims Katherine Koonce and Cynthia Peak and that the latter was due to have dinner with them on the night she was killed.

Nashville shooting victim was family friend of Tennessee governor

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

Thursday 30 March 2023 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed Republicans’ lack of interest in enacting stronger gun laws on Wednesday in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Tennessee, calling their attitude “unacceptable”.

The White House added that the GOP lacks the fortitude to address the recurring horror of seeing children gunned down in their places of learning.

Ms Jean-Pierre was speaking to reporters at the daily White House press briefing when she was asked about Republican arguments that it’s impractical to enact the renewed assault weapons ban favoured by President Biden because 25m military-style semi-automatic weapons are currently in Americans’ homes.

Pressed on how the president would respond to that argument, she replied: “That’s unacceptable”.

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

Alec Baldwin told to ‘read the room’ after posting in support of gun control

Thursday 30 March 2023 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin – who was charged with involuntary manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died of a gunshot wound on the set of his Western Rust in 2021, to which he has pleaded not guilty – has attracted scorn after posting a message in support of gun control on Instagram.

Baldwin, reposted (without comment) a message from musician Peter Frampton that read: “26 years ago, a gunman entered Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, killing 16 kids and a teacher. The UK govt responded by enacting tight gun control legislation. In the 9400+ days since, there have been a total of 0 school shootings in the UK.”

The post drew all manner of nasty responses alluding to the accusation against Baldwin, of which the following is typical: “Read the room Alec. You are unbelievable.”

Ex-police officer who conducted active shooter drills at Covenant School praises teachers

Thursday 30 March 2023 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Brink Fidler, an ex-police officer who has conducted active shooting drills at The Covenant School in the past and knew some of the victims of the shooting, has spoken to Erin Burnett on CNN’s Out Front and praised staff for their “literally flawless” response to the attack.

Fidler said he had known custodian Mike Hill and particularly headmistress Katherine Koonce, who he said “understood the severity” of the risk posed by mass shootings and had actively sought out his help in training and preparing her staff for such an eventuality.

“This story… is about these teachers,” he said. “People are talking about the training we did with them and, yes, training is important, but I wasn’t here on Monday. They were here, right?

“Their ability to execute, literally flawlessly, under that amount of stress while someone is trying to murder them and their children… that is what made the difference here… These teachers are the reason those kids went home to their families.”

Josh Hawley branded ‘fraud and coward’ over Nashville response

Thursday 30 March 2023 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

With emotions running high on Capitol Hill, Missouri Republican senator Josh Hawley has been labelled “a fraud and a coward” by a Democratic rival after calling for the shooting to be investigated as a hate crime against Christians, despite having been the only member of the Senate to vote against a bill to crack down on hate crimes against Asian Americans two years ago.

In making that protest, Hawley said the bill in question threatened to “turn the federal government into the speech police [and] give government sweeping authority to decide what counts as offensive speech and then monitor it”.

No motive has yet been revealed to explain Audrey Hale’s actions but that did not stop Hawley grandstanding in the Senate and announcing he had written to FBI director Christopher Wray and homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to demand an investigation.

“It is commonplace to call such horror senseless violence. But properly speaking, that is false. Police report the attack here was targeted… against Christians,” Hawley told his fellow senators on Wednesday.

“I urge you to immediately open an investigation into this shooting as a federal hate crime. The full resources of the federal government must be brought to bear… Hate that leads to violence must be condemned and hate crimes must be prosecuted.”

Josh Hawley (Getty)
Josh Hawley (Getty)

Repulsed by his hypocrisy, Democrat Lucas Kunce, also representing Missouri, said: “One out of 100 senators voted against the anti-hate crime bill in 2021. His name is Josh Hawley. He’s a fraud and a coward. Some days it’s more obvious than others.”

On the prospect of opening a federal hate crimes probe into the Nashville attack, US attorney general Merrick Garland said: “As of now, motive hasn’t been identified. We are certainly working full time with [federal agencies and law enforcement] to determine what the motive is and of course motive is what determines whether it’s a hate crime or not.”

Kevin McCarthy refuses to commit to gun control legislation

Thursday 30 March 2023 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Republican House speaker Kevin McCarthy offered a desperately weak response to Monday’s tragedy when confronted by journalists Washington, DC, on Wednesday, insisting lawmakers must see “all the facts” before any new gun legislation can be considered.

The facts – six people shot dead, three of them nine-year-old children, by a civilian bearing two military-grade assault rifles in the 130th such episode this calendar year before the end of March – surely speak for themselves.

“We want to see all the facts, we need to get the facts,” he insisted, before refusing to define precisely what he meant by “facts” and then turning on his heel and leaving.

Kevin McCarthy (AP)
Kevin McCarthy (AP)

It is clear that any fresh firearms laws tightening restrictions in response to Nashville will face an uphill battle in DC, with President Biden admitting earlier this week: “I can’t do anything except plead with the Congress to act reasonably.”

“I have done the full extent of my executive authority – to do on my own, anything about guns… The Congress has to act,” he continued.

“The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre, it’s a crazy idea. They’re against that. And so I think the Congress could be passing an assault weapon ban.”

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder’: Nashville youth at school shooting vigil share their anger

Thursday 30 March 2023 10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The Independent’s Sheila Flynn attended a candlelit vigil for the victims of Monday’s shooting in Nashville last night.

This is her devastating report from the scene.

“We need to fight harder and scream louder, march harder,” local resident El Egan, 23, told her.

“We can’t give up on this fight. We have to fight like our lives depend on it, because they do – and the lives of our kids. And our kids are our lifeline. They’re our future. And we have to fight accordingly.”

‘We need to fight harder, scream louder:’ Nashville youth share their anger at vigil

Audrey Hale’s manifesto ‘set to be released’ as motive speculation mounts

Thursday 30 March 2023 09:36 , Joe Sommerlad

The manifesto left behind by Nashville school shooting suspect Audrey Hale is reportedly due to be released shortly after being scrutinised by a team of criminal profilers from the FBI, a Nashville City Council member has told The New York Post.

Robert Swope told the newspaper that the bureaus Behavioral Analysis Unit has been working “in tandem with” the Metro Nashville Police Department to carry out “a very in-depth analysis of certain aspects of the shooter’s life.”

“The manifesto is going to be released. It’s just a matter of when. There are some incredibly brilliant psychological minds and psychological analysts combing through her entire life.”

It is hoped the document will shed some definitive light on precisely why Hale carried out the attack, as speculation mounts.

Audrey Hale in a photo released by Nashville Police (MNPD)
Audrey Hale in a photo released by Nashville Police (MNPD)

No motivation for the attack has yet been established but on Wednesday it emerged that Hale had previously posted on Facebook about the death of a romantic partner, according to a former teacher, offering a possible clue.

Maria Colomy, who taught Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville, recalled a social media post from the suspect “openly grieving” an individual and said that Hale had announced the bereavement and asked to be addressed as Aiden and by masculine pronouns from then on.

Further reports quoting friends of Hale indicated the suspect had been left grief-stricken by the death of Sydney Shere Sims in a traffic accident in August 2022, a former classmate from the Isaiah T Creswell Middle School of the Arts and the Nashville School of the Arts whom Hale “definitely admired”.

One classmate, Samira Hardcastle, told The Post Hale had been “heartbroken” over the tragedy and characterised the suspect’s feelings as “maybe even infatuation” towards Sims, someone they “really, really looked up to”.

Sims’s family declined to comment further to The Independent.

Here’s my colleague Rachel Sharp’s report.

Nashville school shooter’s chilling manifesto to be released to public

Nashville shooting timeline: What we know so far

Thursday 30 March 2023 09:00 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Monday’s shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville unfolded over approximately 15 minutes as a shooter opened fire inside, killing six people, before police arrived and fatally shot the suspect.

Three children and three adults were killed in the shooting at The Covenant School.

Here’s a look at what is known about the shooting and the Nashville police response:

Nashville shooting timeline: What we know so far

ICYMI: How many schools shootings have there been this year after latest massacre in Nashville?

Thursday 30 March 2023 08:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

The mass shooting on Monday at a Nashville Christian elementary school was the latest instance in America’s worsening gun violence epidemic.

According to a Washington Post database, there have been 17 school shootings this year.

Overall, in 2023, counting the Nashville shooting, there have been at least 39 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 18 deaths, according to data from Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group.

Only three months into the year, 2023 has already seen more gun deaths on school grounds than in past years like 2016, and appears set to eclipse totals from other years like 2020, 2017, and 2014.

Though most of the deadliest mass shooters are white, children of colour face the most disproportionate threats from school gun violence, according to the Post, with Hispanic kids two times more like to face gun violence, and Black students three times more likely than the average.

How many schools shootings have there been this year after Nashville massacre?

Parkland dad calls for national education strike in response to Nashville shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 07:54 , Graeme Massie

Manuel Oliver’s son Joaquin was among 17 victims in Florida mass shooting in 2018.

Parkland dad calls for national education strike in response to Nashville shooting

How Washington reacted to the Nashville school shooting is sadly unsurprising

Thursday 30 March 2023 07:30 , Graeme Massie

Passing a gun bill required just the right circumstances in Washington last year. Those don’t exist any more with Republican control, writes Eric Garcia.

How Washington reacted to the Nashville school shooting is sadly unsurprising

ICYMI: Roughly one in 20 Americans own an AR-15 rifle as firearm’s popularity explodes despite role in mass killings

Thursday 30 March 2023 07:00 , Graeme Massie

Alex Woodward has this report on a truly shocking statistic on an assault rifle that was originally intended strictly for military use but which is now owned by 5 per cent of the US population.

Roughly 1 in 20 Americans own an AR-15 as firearm’s popularity explodes

Tearful Melissa Joan Hart describes how she helped kindergarteners run to safety after Nashville shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 06:04 , Graeme Massie

‘They were climbing out of the woods. They were trying to escape the shooter situation at their school,’ the actor says.

Amber Raiken has the details.

Melissa Joan Hart describes how she helped kids to safety after Nashville shooting

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant to raise assault weapons ban

Thursday 30 March 2023 05:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

One of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Democratic rivals in the House interrupted her transphobic rant about the Nashville attack during a committee hearing in order to inject his own take on the shooting.

The moment occurred on Wednesday during a hearing of the House Oversight Committee, where the two battled in a mostly empty committee room over blame for the horrifying attack that left three adults and three young children dead at a school.

Police have identified the suspected shooter by their name at birth; Hale reportedly was a transgender man who used he/him pronouns, though law enforcement officials initially described the suspect as a woman in the aftermath of the shooting. Police did not provide another name but on the suspect’s social media accounts they refer to themselves as Aiden.

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant

ICYMI: What we know about Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale

Thursday 30 March 2023 05:02 , Graeme Massie

To recap, a heavily armed 28-year-old killed six people at a Nashville elementary school in a devastating mass shooting on Monday morning.

Audrey Hale, a former student at the elementary school, allegedly entered The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, just after 10am.

Inside, the shooter opened fire on students and staff, killing six victims.

Students Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all aged nine, headmistress Katherine Koonce, 60, Cynthia Peak, 61, and Mike Hill, 61, all died in the attack.

Two responding police officers shot the suspect dead on the second floor just 14 minutes after arriving at the school.

What we know about the Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale

Democrat and Republican in Capitol shouting match over gun safety: ‘Calm down? Children are dying!’

Thursday 30 March 2023 04:30 , Maroosha Muzaffar

Two opposing US congressmen drew crowds of onlookers as they engaged in a blazing argument over gun control in the wake of the Nashville school shooting.

New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman had been giving a furious speech to reporters in a corridor outside the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening, accusing the Republicans of inaction.

“They’re cowards. They’re all cowards! They won’t do anything to save the lives of our children,” yelled Mr Bowman, a former school principal.

Kentucky GOP representative Thomas Massie then tried to butt in, prompting a shouting match between the two men.

“You know, there’s never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry [guns],” Mr Massie said.

Democrat and Republican in gun safety shouting match: ‘Calm down? Children are dying’

Arizona governor’s press secretary resigns after ‘transphobe’ gun meme in wake of Nashville shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 04:07 , Graeme Massie

Right-wing Arizona caucus leader says staffer was ‘threatening to shoot people Democrats disagree with less than 12 hours after Nashville shooting’.

Arizona governor’s aide takes down ‘transphobe’ gun meme amid Nashville backlash

We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville

Thursday 30 March 2023 03:05 , Graeme Massie

‘The right is the radicalized threat to public safety, not the LGBTQ community. Here are the receipts to prove it.’

We must reject the transphobic narrative around Nashville | Voices

College football coach sheds tears as he calls for ‘change’ after Nashville school shooting

Thursday 30 March 2023 02:31 , Graeme Massie

Georgia Tech head football coach Brent Key, whose mother was a school teacher, became very emotional he spoke to reporters.

“Something has to change… somebody watching… please do something,” he urged.

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

Thursday 30 March 2023 02:04 , Graeme Massie

White House press secretary says the lack of a response from the GOP is ‘unacceptable’.

White House says Republicans ‘lack courage’ for meaningful gun reform

Democrat and Republican in Capitol shouting match over gun safety: ‘Calm down? Children are dying!’

Thursday 30 March 2023 01:41 , Graeme Massie

New York Democrat Jamaal Bowman had been giving a furious speech to reporters in a corridor when Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie tried to butt in.

Democrat and Republican in gun safety shouting match: ‘Calm down? Children are dying’

ICYMI: Nashville students ‘randomly targeted’ in Christian school shooting, police confirm

Thursday 30 March 2023 01:02 , Graeme Massie

Metro Nashville police chief John Drake says investigators are still seeking an exact motive for Audrey Hale’s attack, having suggested the shooter harboured resentment against the institution.

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant to raise assault weapons ban

Thursday 30 March 2023 00:01 , Graeme Massie

Far-right has latched on to identity of Nashville shooter to fuel transphobic hatred.

Democrat lawmaker interrupts Marjorie Taylor Greene’s transphobic rant

Permit no longer required to buy handgun in North Carolina

Wednesday 29 March 2023 23:43 , Graeme Massie

Previously residents needed a permit from their local sheriff to complete the purchase of a handgun.

But the Republican-controlled state legislature overrode the veto of Governor Roy Cooper on Wednesday, the first time in the state since 2018 reported the Associated Press.

The House voted 71-46 to implement the bill which removed the system whereby sheriffs carried out criminal background checks and character evaluations of anyone applying for a handgun permit.

One of Nashville police heroes identified as former Marine Corps rifleman

Wednesday 29 March 2023 23:14 , Graeme Massie

Marine veteran Michael Collazo was one of the two Nashville police officers who ran towards gunfire and took down shooter Audrey Hale.

Officer Collazo served in the Marine Corps from 2010 to 2016 as an 0311 Infantry Rifleman, according to Task and Purpose.

He left the Corps as a sergeant and was last stationed with the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Division in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Officer Collazo has received the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Officials have said that both Officer Collazo and Officer Rex Englebert both shot at and took down the shooter at Covenant School on Monday.

Officer Rex Englebert and Officer Michael Collazo (MNPD)
Officer Rex Englebert and Officer Michael Collazo (MNPD)

Joe Biden considering Nashville trip

Wednesday 29 March 2023 22:57 , Graeme Massie

The president said on Wednesday that planning was being done about a possible Tennessee trip.

“That’s underway now,” Mr Biden said. “We’re trying to figure that out.”

Mr Biden has previously visited Monterey, California, Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas following mass shootings.

Pictures of the victims killed in a mass shooting on Monday at The Covenant School are fixed to a memorial by Noah Reich from the non-profit Classroom of Compassion, near the school on March 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty Images)
Pictures of the victims killed in a mass shooting on Monday at The Covenant School are fixed to a memorial by Noah Reich from the non-profit Classroom of Compassion, near the school on March 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty Images)

Jill Biden to attend Nashville candlelight vigil

Wednesday 29 March 2023 22:45 , Graeme Massie

The first lady will attend the Wednesday evening candlelight vigil to honour the victims of the Nashville shooting.

“Honored that @FLOTUS will attend this evening’s vigil as Nashville mourns and remembers the lives tragically taken from us,” the city’s mayor John Cooper tweeted Wednesday.

Pope ‘s office sends condolences to Nashville bishop

Wednesday 29 March 2023 22:25 , Graeme Massie

“He joins the entire community in mourning the children and adults who died and commends them to the loving embrace of the Lord Jesus,” read the telegram from the Vatican secretary of state to bishop J Mark Spalding.

“He likewise invokes the consolation and strength of the Holy Spirit upon the grieving families and prays that they will be confirmed in their faith in the power of the Risen Lord to heal every hurt and to bring good out of unspeakable evil.”

How many schools shootings have there been this year after latest massacre in Nashville?

Wednesday 29 March 2023 21:33 , Graeme Massie

2023 could be among worst years in recent memories for school violence.

How many schools shootings have there been this year after Nashville massacre?

Incoming head of American Medical Association says colleague’s child was Nashville victim

Wednesday 29 March 2023 20:25 , Graeme Massie

“I’m livid. My colleague lost her child in the Nashville shooting. So this is personal,” tweeted Jesse Ehrenfeld.

“See our full plan on how we’re going to stop more shootings...Because thoughts and prayers will NEVER be enough.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene interrupted during transphobic rant

Wednesday 29 March 2023 20:17 , Graeme Massie

Marjorie Taylor Greene was interrupted as she gave a transphobic rant about the Nashville shooting during a House hearing.

The far-right wing Republican was taken to task by Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, who reminded her that six people were dead and it was the GOP who had got rid of the assault weapons ban.

Guns leading cause of death among children and teens in US

Wednesday 29 March 2023 19:44 , Graeme Massie

Data shows that guns have passed car accidents in 2020 as the leading cause of death among children and teens in the US, according to Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.

And guns accounted for almost 19 per cent of deaths of those aged between 1 and 18 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The data shows that nearly 3,600 children died from guns in 2021, around five children for every 100,000 in the US.

“In no other similarly large or wealthy country are firearm deaths in the top 4 causes of mortality let alone the number 1 cause of death among children,” the KFF analysis stated.

 (AP)
(AP)

Community foundation raises $200,000 in 48 hours for victims

Wednesday 29 March 2023 19:02 , Graeme Massie

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee started the Caring for Covenant Fund that as of Wednesday morning had raised more than $203,000 from nearly 2,000 donations to “support the healing of those affected by this tragedy.”

 (AP)
(AP)

Photos show inside of shooter’s home

Wednesday 29 March 2023 17:45 , Graeme Massie

Photos published by The New York Post have shown the inside of the home where shooter Audrey Hale lived in the city with her parents.

Police have said that the brick Tudor-style home in the city is where Hale kept a secret stash of seven guns that her parents, who felt she should not own firearms, did not know about.

Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart says she helped kindergarteners escape Nashville attack

Wednesday 29 March 2023 16:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Melissa Joan Hart, the former teen star of the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch television series, has taken to Instagram to claim in an emotional video that she and her husband helped a number of pupils from The Covenant School escape Monday’s attack.

The actress explained that she had been on her way to a parent-teacher conference at her own children’s school when they happened to see children racing away from the scene of Audrey Hale’s attack.

“We helped a class of kindergartners across a busy highway,” she told her followers, fighting back tears.

“They were climbing out of the woods. They were trying to escape the shooter situation at their school. So we helped all these tiny little kids cross the road and get [to] their teachers… We helped a mom reunite with her children.

“I don’t just don’t know what to say anymore. Enough is enough. And just pray. Prayer for the families.”

Hart explains in the short clip that she moved to Nashville from Connecticut, where she had lived close to Sandy Hook during that time of the notorious 2012 massacre there.

Senate chaplain calls for lawmakers to ‘move beyond thoughts and prayers’ after Nashville school shooting

Wednesday 29 March 2023 15:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Senate chaplain Barry Black used his opening prayer as he opened Congress on Tuesday to move beyond thoughts and prayers after Monday’s deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville.

Mr Black’s opened the gathering of lawmakers by saying: “When babies die at a church, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayer.”

Eric Garcia has the story.

Senate chaplain calls to ‘move beyond thoughts and prayers’ after Nashville shooting

Arizona governor’s press secretary takes down ‘transphobe’ gun meme amid Nashville backlash

Wednesday 29 March 2023 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s an update on the furore we reported on earlier over an ill-advised tweet from Arizona governor Katie Hobbs’s spokeswoman Josselyn Berry, which caused state Republicans to demand she be fired.

Gustaf Kilander has the latest.

Arizona governor’s aide takes down ‘transphobe’ gun meme amid Nashville backlash

‘The sum of all fears’: Nashville and its religious schools grieve – and worry – after Monday massacre

Wednesday 29 March 2023 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Nashville’s airwaves were thick with emotion on Tuesday as the famed Music City struggled to come to terms with a school shooting that left three nine-year-olds and three adults dead a day earlier.

Mourners were placing flowers and cards at makeshift memorials near The Covenant School, where the shooting occurred, while religious leaders planned prayer vigils.

The Independent’s Sheila Flynn has this eyewitness report from a city struggling to come to terms with its grief.

Nashville and its religious schools grieve – and worry – after Monday massacre

Nashville school head teacher ‘ended Zoom call to confront shooter’ before being shot dead

Wednesday 29 March 2023 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The head of The Covenant School in Nashville, who was one of the six victims of the shooting, confronted the shooter as soon as she heard of the incident, according to an official.

Katherine Koonce, 60, was on a Zoom call when she was informed of the shooting in her school, Nashville city councilman Russ Pulley told Fox News, citing a witness.

Mr Pulley said she “immediately ended” the meeting and did not hesitate to head straight to the shooter.

Stuti Mishra has this report.

Nashville school head ‘ended Zoom call to confront shooter’ before being shot dead

Audrey Hale’s disturbing art revealed as police say shooter drew ‘cartoon’ plan of Nashville school attack

Wednesday 29 March 2023 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Hale’s work ranges from the disturbing to the childlike, including a creepy drawing of Jack Nicholson in horror movie The Shining.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

Audrey Hale’s disturbing art revealed after shooter drew ‘cartoon’ plan of attack

Lecturer recalls Audrey Hale crying on first day of college

Wednesday 29 March 2023 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

A lecturer who taught Audrey Hale at the Nossi College of Art & Design in Nashville has given an interview to The New York Times in which she claims that Hale suffered an emotional outburst on her first day in class in 2017.

Maria Colomy told the newspaper that she recalled Hale bursting into tears of frustration after struggling to create a password for an online student portal, at which point Colomy advised the student to step outside and take a breath. Hale did so.

The instructor said she subsequently saw a Facebook post from Hale “openly grieving” the death of a romantic partner and asking to be addressed as “Aiden” from now on and by male pronouns.